Preparing a Custody Agreement for Court

How do I make a custody agreement?

You can write up your own custody agreement (on your own or with the other parent) or you can work with an attorney or legal professional and have them create it. If you don't want to pay the high cost of an attorney, and want to easily make your own agreement, you can use the Custody X Change software.

Custody X Change is software that creates parenting plans. You make each part of your agreement, and then you can print professional documents of your plan.

If you are fortunate enough to have been able to reach an agreement with your ex regarding your child's custody arrangements, you will want to make sure you have properly prepared your custody agreement for court.

In order to better ensure that your custody agreement will be successfully accepted by the court, you are going to need to make sure your custody agreement:

Contains all of the content you would like to include in your plan

Has a comprehensive child visitation schedule

Meets the needs of your child

Is professional looking, easy to understand, and organized

Custody X Change is computer software designed to help parents make their own custody agreements. When you use Custody X Change to create your plan you can feel confident that your agreement will meet the requirements of the court.

What should I include in my custody agreement?

Your custody agreement will serve as the rules and regulations for raising your child until he or she reaches adulthood. Once it is approved by the court, it will become a court order that you will be legally obligated to follow.

Your custody agreement should be as detailed as possible and should include (at least):

A declaration as to what type of legal and physical custody each parent will have

A designation of the child's primary residence (for legal purposes)

A statement defining parental authority and decision-making abilities for important issues in the child's life

A comprehensive child visitation schedule that includes holidays and vacation time

Any provisions or stipulations you would like to include

A method for resolving disputes

A method for periodically reviewing the plan

A method for modifying the plan

The more detailed your custody agreement is, the better it will be. The time and effort you put into your agreement now will benefit you and your child in the long run because you will be following established rules instead of trying to figure out what to do when a random situation arises.

When you use Custody X Change to create your agreement, you don't have to worry about leaving anything out. You simply enter your information as you follow the steps of the software. You can feel confident that you have created a comprehensive parenting plan when you use Custody X Change.

How do I make a visitation schedule?

You will need to decide the days and times your child is going to spend with each parent and then put everything in writing.

When you use Custody X Change, all you need to do is enter your visitation days and times and set a repeating pattern. You will be able to print out your schedule in written and calendar form.

One of the great things about using Custody X Change is that you will be able to print out your visitation schedule for years to come. You will always know exactly which parent is schedule to have your child on any date.

How can I ensure my agreement meets my child's needs?

The court has certain criteria it considers when determining the best interests of a child. When you create your agreement, you will want to make sure that your child's mental, physical, and emotional needs are being met.

You child should always be in a safe, loving environment. Your child should have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. You child should not be around bad people like sex offenders, drug users, alcoholics, child abusers and other people that could cause harm to your child.

Most of these things are just common sense. A good parent knows how to take care of their child and protect their child.

As you make you agreement, you will want to consider various scenarios. If Aunt Jane has a problem with alcohol, you can stipulate that you don't want your child riding in a car driven by her (or anyone else under the influence) or being left alone with her. You are free to include anything you want in your custody agreement.

When you use Custody X Change to create your agreement, you will have the opportunity to add in any additional provisions that you want to include in your plan.

How can I create professional looking documents?

Once your plan is complete, you will want to write everything in an organized manner so it is easy to understand and nothing is left open for interpretation.

You will want to make sure your documents are printed out on clean paper that is free from folds and other imperfections. Your paperwork should be kept clean and crisp. You may want to keep your custody agreement in a folder or something else that will protect it.

Custody X Change allows you to create a custody agreement with a professional appearance that will be sure to impress a judge.

In some places, the court will require you to submit your agreement on their forms. If this is the case, you can still use Custody X Change to create your plan and attach your custody documents to the forms the court wants you to use.

Custody X Change is software that makes it easy to document your situation and stay organized.